Cuomo, PEF announce tentative 5-year contract

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Public Employees Federation announced today that they have agreed on a tentative five-year contract that includes a three-year wage freeze, an increase of between 2 percent and six percent in health-care contributions and nine days of unpaid leave this year and next year, four of which will be paid back at the end of the end of the contract.

Based on the tentative contract, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration will rescind the 21-day layoff notices that have been given to union employees.

Members of PEF, the state’s second-largest union, would have to agree to the terms of the contract for it to take effect. The Legislature also would have to approve it.

“This agreement reflects the financial reality of the times. I am pleased that we could avoid these layoffs, protect the workforce and the taxpayer,” Cuomo said in a statement.

PEF President Ken Brynien said the agreement was a difficult one to reach, “but with our members’ jobs in peril and the state’s fiscal hardship we’ve stepped up and made the necessary sacrifices.”

“The agreement will preserve our members jobs and careers while bringing long term fiscal stability to the state. We are confident this is the best agreement that could be negotiated in the current
environment,” he said.

Employees who remain active through 2013 would receive a one-time payment of $775 in 2013 and $225 in 2014.

The agreement mirrors the one Cuomo’s administration reached last month with the Civil Service Employees Association, the largest public-workers union. It was approved by the Legislature and has to be ratified by members this summer.

If adopted by the state’s other collective bargaining units, the agreement would reduce workforce costs by over $1.5 billion over the contract term.

Cara Matthews is a member of The Journal News' Tax Team. She has worked as an Albany correspondent and she covered Putnam County government and politics. Before that, she worked at newspapers in Connecticut and covered the state Legislature for one of them.

For those of us with families to feed, family members out of work for 6 months or longer, and that read and comprehend the economic news of the US and the world … this is great news. Not what we would have wanted or voted for even a few years ago, but a reality for now. When the economics change … And they will eventually … we can work for a better contract. For now, I need to care for my family … something that millions are unable to do across the country right now. Many states and cities have gone through painful cuts. We now can keep our jobs.

i agree with bobbyJ now is not the time to play hardball. lets be thankful there wont be any layoff for at least 5 yrs!! the increase in health insurance isn’t too bad… the 9 days with out pay is alittle hard. But i would rather do that than have 1000’s laid off.